Blood Legacy
by LianeZql
Summary: This is an AU fic where humans are valued for their gifted blood and vampires become the center of the mafia system. Edward is brought up by the Volturi and Bella, a human touched by the butterfly effect finds herself thrown into a previously invisible world. (For readers before 4/13/2013: Being rewritten ;)
1. Prologue: The Switch

**Helloooo readers. Thanks for clicking in. This is a story I've had in my mind for a very long time. There will be OC's, but they are here to benefit the plot and not to ruin the original story so give them a warm welcome. Personalities will change a bit in this story. But don't get put off by it there are many things that I keep :) Anyways, this story will begin in the past and end up in the present. Please enjoy!**

**A thanks to BigToe my lovely beta ;)**

**Oh and:**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga authored by Stephanie Meyer.

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Prologue: The Switch

The yellow light of lamp posts were all that illuminated the morning twilight as a man and woman rushed down the dark empty streets of Volterra. The woman was deeply distressed; a bundle was cradled tightly to her chest.

"They'll take care of him," the man whispered roughly as he hurried her down the cobblestone sidewalk.

"Elizabeth entrusted him to us," she bit out. "And what do we do?" she continued, her voice clipped and out of breath. "We give him to the _vampyres_." Her voice lowered with the word.

"I've told you already Anne, they ain't vampyres. They the rich folk. They'll have the money to take care of the kid. Elizabeth never meant for him to starve. Now why don't you stop the worryin n-." His words were cut off as he saw someone approach.

A figure came slowly towards them from the other end of the dark street. As the figure neared they stopped but did not run for the figure closely resembled the cloaked doctor that they had been seeing come and go from Elizabeth's for the past two months. He stepped out of the shadows and the lamplight illuminated his soft blond hair. Bright blue eyes looked down at the couple. It was the second time they were surprised by the beauty and presence of the man before them. The first, was when he had come to bring the new born child that Elizabeth had spent her last ounce of strength to deliver.

"Good morning Anne, Marco." The man nodded at each as he said their respective names. " If I may ask what are you doing out on this chilly twilight with the babe?" Despite his kind aura, the air seemed to chill for the couple. He looked at the bundle and then at Anne. "Wrapped tight I hope". Anne shook slightly from the attention directed at her, but responded with a curt nod. He stepped closer to her " Good. Now Anne, tell me where are you taking the child? " Anne looked up into his eyes hesitatingly, but saw no trace of the threat she expected to see. Marco was holding onto her arm, but she jerked her body away and out of his grip. He tumbled back slightly and tripped over the ledge, but neither paid attention to him. Taking in a breath of air she let her frustration show.

"You know we barely had enough to feed ourselves, why did you give him to me-to us." Her words were quick and clipped. "We didn't want to but, please understand that he won't survive with what we can provide him. We are taking him to the Denali." Carlisle took a moment to take in her words.

"I do understand your predicament, but I had hoped it would work out." He smiled down at Anne. "I see I will have to take him from your hands sooner than I thought, but the Denali won't do." By then Marco had finally shaken off the shock of landing in the street and hurriedly got up to go grab the babe.

"Yes, by all means, take it." he grunted as he tried to wrestle the babe out of Anne's arms. Carlisle laid a hand on his shoulder and looked at Anne "I'll keep him safe." Finally she let go of the bundle and it slid into his waiting arms. "I bid you farewell Anne, Marco" And with that he walked away into the dark. Their paths would never cross again.

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**And that's that :)****Now I shall crawl into my little corner and wait for your reviews. ****I won't say so much on Reviews again, but they are very important to a FanFic writer. Reviews are like the payment for a good story...or a bad one. They are the fuel to my flame; the Clyde to my Bonnie. The chairs to my table and the ...you get my point :) Just take a few secs please! **

**-Zql**


	2. Chapter 1

Starting over. First chapter here we go!

**A thanks to **BigKTo **my lovely beta ;)**

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Disclaimer: I do not own the twilight saga only what I change about the twilight saga.

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It didn't take very long for him to reach the front gate of the Volturi Mansion. The babe in his arms had yet to make a sound, just breathing softly in its sleep as its fate was being changed. A tuft of copper colored hair popped out of its confinement. Tucking the babe in close to his chest, Carlisle leapt over the iron gates and landed softly in the shadows created by the trees.

Not that he needed to be careful; the Volturi didn't keep guards. But he needed to hurry, the sun was rising and he had to leave. Swiftly, he ran up the path; dense vegetation became a blur on both sides. After mounting the front steps, he laid the babe down and took a small slip of paper out of his inside pocket to tuck into the folds of the blanket. Taking a pause before leaving he said quietly into the dark,

"People only survive in this world - my world, when they either have value or know how to survive. They will see your value, and in time you will learn to survive. " With that he turned and left.

oOo

Sparks hissed quietly as they struggled to escape the dark iron bars of a handsome marble fireplace. A mahogany heirloom chair with an embroidered moss green cushion occupied the area in front of the fireplace. Its handles were elaborately carved and upon the left arm of this wooden chair rested a hand with nails so translucent they seemed red, much like an albino rabbit; the blood can clearly be seen through its pigment-less irises.

The nails led to long, pale fingers that were connected to a hand encircled by an expensively tailored black silk cuff. Sleek maroon locks fell straight past the black satin shoulders of the man that these cuffs belonged to, framing his bored face and long aristocratic nose. He had smiling thin lips that were drawn up now. Nothing with feeling, just something to cover the workings in his mind as he watched the sparks die when they made contact with the carpet.

Suddenly the high pitched shriek of a baby rang its way down the main corridor and into his sensitive ears. The scream ended, but the serene silence that often accompanies the end of storms lasted only a minute before the noise began again with renewed vigor. Wave upon wave of wails and screams bounced their way through the halls.

"Jane". The man's voice was low. His eyes were still closed as if in sleep and his lips barely moved to utter the command.

The young woman that had been reclining against his right leg shifted slightly. Her face was small but sharp, accompanied by dull red lips and eyes of a deep blue that were covered by a veil of black lace. Her pale golden hair grazed her shoulders as she turned slowly to face her master. Seeing him smile at her lackadaisical state, she stood up quickly and dusted her perfectly clean stockings before bowing her head slightly. Smiling was not a happy, pleased expression when it came from Aro.

"Yes Aro?"

"Do you hear what I am hearing dear?" Aro closed his eyes and reclined his head against the tall back of his chair. His elbows were perched on the wooden arms, his fingers intertwined. The crying had not stopped.

" Yes" she smiled, "Do you want me to end it?" Jane asked, voice cold. She was slightly hungry from her nap after all. The crying seemed very young.

Marcus who had just come in raised a brow at Jane's question. Just as he was about to reprimand her, Aro unclasped his hands and waved his permission. She curtsied, stepped back two steps before turning and exiting the room. "Letting her run wild like that…" Marcus stopped when Aro cut him off, "When are they coming?"

Marcus was used to the abruptness of his leader and continued. "The Common children are arriving in a week." Suddenly Aro's expression changed, but Marcus couldn't tell if it was because of his news or something else entirely. Suddenly, Aro shot out of his chair, and left. Marcus sighed before heading back to his wife and bed.

oOo

Gas lamps lined the dimly lit corridor as Jane made her way towards her prey, her movements held feline grace. The dull itch at the back of her throat began to ache as she listened to the cries of the young child. She could just imagine the blood pulsing through its veins. Normally she was not allowed to kill but finally her leash had been loosened. Yes it would too easy, but she was excited all the same as she relished the cries of her quarry. A slight tinge of red spread around her pupils and seeped into her irises.

Her neck arched slightly backward and her steps slowed for a moment as she relished the feeling of her incisors lengthening with the sensation of adrenaline pulsing through her veins.

A looming crystal chandelier shone brightly overhead as she made her way out of the corridor and into the parlor. The maid that was cleaning the fireplace to her right stood and gave her a curtsy, but Jane ignored her as she swerved to the left and down the front hall. Her hair blew like pale silken gold behind her as her steps increased in speed.

Reaching the front entrance, she opened the heavy doors of polished wood. Light spilled onto the front steps and illuminated a squirming bundle of old linen cloths. Without much hesitation, she walked forward and grabbed the babe up with its linen. One hand held onto its head and the other firmly holding its bottom. The babe had stopped its crying; tears and snot covered most of its face. Its little swollen eyes looked up at the new presence as it sniffled. She did not see its face; her senses were overwhelmed by the smell of the blood in its veins. However, as her head shot down to bite into its heart, a hand grabbed her throat and forcibly pulled her head back. She turned and hissed at the intruder but was met by a backhand to the face that snapped her neck to one side with a sickening crack. The force of the blow knocked the babe out of her hands and into Aro's awaiting arms. He turned to look at Jane who had picked herself up from the floor.

"Jane, don't be so crude. The smell will wake more than a quarter of the manor."

Her veil had been knocked off and anger had built up to a burning behind her eyes. However, she forced it to cool when she heard his voice. Her incisors had made a deep cut in her lip and it would take a bit longer to heal. Jane wiped the blood of her lips with the back of her hand and looked at Aro incredulously. Wake the manor?

"Go fetch Eleazar. I will be waiting in the library." A high pitched giggle ended his sentence and a grin was plastered to his face as he looked down at the babe. With that he turned and went back inside.

oOo

Once again, she was walking down a dimly lit corridor, but this time she was heading to the inner depths of the mansion where the sleeping quarters were. Jane arrived in front of a door and raised her right hand to give two sharp raps before speaking,

"Eleazar, Aro wants you in the library." A few seconds passed and she huffed in annoyance. He was taking forever. Suddenly the door opened to reveal a man with sleep tousled dark cropped hair. He was much taller than Jane, a bit over six feet, and he wore a dark blue robe that complemented his light brown skin. His eyes were a brown so dark they were almost black, rimmed by long lashes that came with spanish blood. His mouth turned upwards in a raffish smirk as he looked down at her.

"You sure this isn't an excuse to visit me?"

"Oh be quiet. Aro is waiting for us." She turned without giving him another glance and took a step down the hall when-

"Had a little late night snack?" Jane's eyes widened in shock as she whirled around to look at Eleazar. His eyes were filled with humor as he brought a finger up to tap his chin. "Saving some leftovers for later?" She brought a hand up to touch her own chin and came away with a bit of drying blood. It was her own, but she wasn't about to tell him that. She turned to continue down the hall, all the while trying to discreetly wipe the blood away. His smile disappeared when her back was facing him. He had gone to check the babe before Jane got to the entrance and he hadn't heard a heartbeat.

oOo

Books of every subject filled the dark wood bookshelves that had been packed into the room in great horizontal rows. Math, science, literature, history, nothing that was deemed "of value" or "skeptical" was missing and one inhabitant or the other had read every book of the library's front. A wall created by two rows of ceiling high bookshelves back to back separated the library into two different parts. A semi circle the height of an average person had been cut into the middle two shelves. A redwood door was then installed to create an entrance to the second room.

The library's front had four windows that allowed sunlight in during the day to preserve the clean crisp smell of new books, but the library's front is only a quarter of the entire library. The backside of the library was much darker; it had tunnels leading to both the dungeon and many other places in the mansion. The air inside held the dry whispers of lost knowledge and an older time. The age withered texts, dry yellow parchments of giant tomes and beautiful calligraphy of ancient tales were kept in perfect condition by the librarian Erroin.

As far as most knew, Erroin had always been in the back libraries and he had never left. All he cared about were his books and all his gifts were geared towards them. Having his particular set of skills meant he could and would stay away from all other things. His occupation remained his life even after death.

He sat at his desk walled in by bookshelves in the relative dark. A rather small book lay open before him. Its pages were barely two inches in width and four inches in length. A small orange flame floated near the dry yellowed page he was working on as his hand steadily guided a drop of glue down the seam of the book with a metal binding pen. Two presences appeared on the other side of the redwood door. Another disturbance tonight. He should have never allowed Aro to install all those passageways in the library. Crazy fellow, walking in with a baby covered in its own liquid juices. He would have to readjust the temperature of the room again. He held his unoccupied hand up and drew a circle in the air. From his chair he heard the whooshing of air as the door swung open and sent out a guiding flame. They rushed past the bookshelves he was behind without noticing him and Erroin went back to his work.

oOo

Eleazar continued to follow Jane as they entered the front library. It was dim from the lack of light from both sun and moon. The floor was made of wood, but their feet made no sound as they walked down the long dark burgundy rug. He had never been to the "back library" as it was called and followed closely behind Jane who had stopped abruptly in front of a door.

It was a very plain door that would have been hard to find if he had not been led. The bookshelves near the wall was structured into a maze like structure that obscured the door from those who were not actively looking for it. Of course Aro's pet would know where it was. A moment passed and his eyebrows rose as the door cracked open and swung out to reveal a pitch-black room. No one stood awaiting them. They walked into a darkness that even their vampyric sight could barely adjust to. The door gradually swung back to a close behind them, cutting out any source of light. A small orange flame flickered to life in the air in front of them. It hovered for a moment before floating away. It took a moment for both of them to realize they had to follow it. Just knowing where the door leading to the back library was didn't mean Jane had ever been there.

The little flame led them through the darkness, sometimes illuminating a wall and sometimes a shelf. Finally they arrived at another door. The light vanished and Jane raised a hesitant hand to knock on the door twice before pulling it open. The soft glow of a fireplace shown onto them. From inside the room came a voice.

"Hurry and come already."

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**Please vote on the poll to help me decide on which days to update :) !**

A/N::

-Forever waiting for your humble opinion-

-Liane


	3. Chapter 2

Hello readers! Please don't forget to do that little thing at the end that writers love so much :)** Enjoy!**

Thank you to my lovely beta**: BigKTo**

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Disclaimer: I do not own the twilight saga only what I change about the twilight saga.

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August 1843~

Eleazer looked to see Aro sitting in a chair, humming happily with his eyes closed as he waved a small piece of paper around in the air. Eleazar spoke up after awhile. "You asked for me?" Aro's opened his eyes and hopped up to walked over to a circular table to set the paper down. Eleazar focused on the babe that was sleeping on a pile of linens not far from where Aro laid the note.

"Yes." Aro said smiling. "Well don't keep me waiting." He looked up. "You know what I want."

Of course Eleazar knew what he meant. After all, Aro had made Demitri spend countless years looking for the gifted. Even the famous tracker couldn't find them; something about not being able to find people when he didn't know whom he was looking for. Aro had gotten lucky tonight. Jane stood to the side, confused.

"Check him for me won't you?" Aro said as he walked passed the two. Before he went through the door, he turned to Jane, "If Edward is of value take him to Didyme and Marcus' room." Aro waved a hand to the door on the other side of the room, "That should lead you to the east wing rooms. If he is not-" Aro frowned slightly at the thought, "Well, then by all means, finish what you started Jane." With that he left the room.

A few moments passed before either of them spoke. Eleazar cleared his throat and pushed himself off the wall he had been reclining against. Hands still in his pockets he yawned and walked over to the table.

He touched the piece of paper with a finger and turned it towards himself. One word had been written on it in soft letters.

"Edward huh?" He tapped it a few times before turning to the babe. By this time, Jane had had enough. She sat herself in a chair and crossed her legs.

"For heaven sakes, what is going on Eleazar?" She played with an iron figurine on the small table besides her.

"My, my." Eleazar chuckled as he continued to remove the linens without waking up the babe. "I had forgotten that Aro's pet is still a newborn. Privy to some of Aro's secrets but you haven't learned much yet have you?" He shifted to the right as an object flew passed his head and lodged itself into the wall in front of him. Her next words were uttered through clenched teeth.

"I can take the veil off if you want. Maybe then we can communicate better." Eleazar turned halfway around, and bowed dramatically, all the while giving her his most charming smile.

"I meant no harm m'lady." Jane looked away and scowled in disgust while beckoning in his general direction.

"Just hurry will you. The sun's coming up." Jane sighed in exasperation. He paused, then continued.

"What do you hear in this room?" He began. Jane was annoyed, but knew that playing along would make things go faster.

"Nothing much...the fire?" She said, looking at him as he moved a finger across the babe's chest.

"What's missing? " He said as his eyebrows creased. His eyes closed in concentration as he pressed a certain point above where the babe's heart was. Jane closed her eyes too and listened. If this had been a room of humans there would have been a cacophony of beating hearts, but there was only the babe...wait. Where's the heartbeat? Jane's eyes shot open and she stood up abruptly.

"Where is his heartbeat Eleazar?" She said as she walked quickly over to the table, but he wasn't responding.

On the outside, the babe and man seemed a perfect picture of peace, but on closer inspection Jane could see a sheen of sweat coating Eleazar's forehead and throat. She went back to sit down. What was she going to do? Break the link? No, she didn't know what that would do to her so she sat and waited. It was when her lids began to droop that she finally felt movement from the table. She looked up to see Eleazar slowly rewrapping the babe.

"Well?" She asked.

"You can go sleep." Came his short reply.

"That's it? That's all you're going to give me? You were supposed to explain." Jane complained, frustration and confusion obvious on her face.

"Right." Eleazar spoke, but didn't stop in his wrapping of the baby. "What have you been taught Jane? That we are able to reproduce only once, all vampires have heightened senses, faster healing abilities and are generally creatures of beauty yes? " He wasn't giving her any time to reply. "You have also been taught that instead of food, blood is our main sustenance and that contrary to popular literature, we can feed without killing, but what you may not know is that there are many types of blood. Not "tastes" of blood mind you, "types" of blood. Since I really do need my sleep, I won't go into all of them, but only what pertains to us tonight. You see-" He unraveled the last few turns he made with the linen to start again. "I specialize in the gifted."

"The "gifted"?" she asked, curious about this new term.

"Yes Jane, the "gifted". You should know what that is since you've got a gift yourself. You could make me scream like a teapot if you wanted me to." His eyes never left the babe. "I see a vampire. I "feel" them, metaphorically speaking, and I know their gift. Gifted humans on the other hand are a slightly different matter." He smiled at his handy work as he picked up the still sleeping baby, now tightly wrapped in its linens. He turned and held the babe in one hand. "I'll use him as an example. Gifted blood is the term we use for humans who have natural gifts that would be amplified after they are turned into vampyres. These humans are incredibly hard to find though and not many of us know about them"

"Why?" Jane asked, re-adjusting herself to get a closer look at the babe. Nothing looked out of the ordinary to her.

"The Nobles have always been afraid of someone creating groups of gifted newborns. Afraid of what they can't control." His eyes seemed to be unfocused for a moment as Jane looked at her hands. But he shook his head and progressed before she could notice. "Plus, they're hard to gather because they don't have a heartbeat. Took you long enough to realize that one love." Jane scowled at the smirk on his handsome face. "Secondly, they don't have much of a scent." Her eyes widened.

"But that's impossible. He smelled so strong when I was about to-" Jane stopped abruptly. Eleazar's dark eyes twinkled.

"Oh, I know about your little stumble tonight darling. True they smell absolutely-" He moved the babe closer to her face and once again she was almost overwhelmed by the intoxicating smell. Then he drew him away. "divine when they're a foot or so from your face, but any length farther..." Jane raised her face to sniff the air but came away with nothing. "and their scentless. Absolutely hard to find, but if my information is correct, this one was delivered to our doorsteps." He tossed the child into her lap and headed for the door, hands in his pockets. "Sorry, but this means there's no snack for you." He turned before he exited the room, one hand on the doorframe, "Well, I'm leaving. I'm sure there's a crib somewhere you can put him in." Jane stood up quickly and called out.

"Wait, I want to know more." Eleazar didn't turn as he followed a flame, that had appeared when he opened the door, into the darkness. Jane's head was still filled with questions. After all, she had only been turned for a mere thirty-five years. Picking up the babe and holding it so that it stayed as far away from her as possible, she went to the wall in front of the table and dislodged the iron figurine of a wolf she had thrown earlier. Placing it back on the table, she turned and left through the opposite door.

oOo

October 1843~

The ship's hull groaned as it lifted and sank with the waves that were trapped in the New York Harbor. It was dark except for the ship and a few street lamps down below. As the masses on deck rushed to get off, one man cloaked in black remained still as he scanned the crowd. After only a moment he turned into the stream of people and his black coat became one of many.

As the man made his way down the plank, his mind was blank regarding the current situation and he had yet to form an opinion. Quickly, the man walked to the back of the large mass of people where a small carriage was waiting. A well-dressed young man jumped off the driver's seat and took off his hat in greeting before opening the door. A man with sliver hair and a charming face stepped out with open arms.

"Carlisle, how good to finally see you again." Carlisle smiled upon seeing the man and returned the strong hug that was accompanied by strong pats on the back.

"Caius, you didn't have to come receive me in person, a pioneer must be busy."

"Oh, no doubt about that." Caius began with a smile as he guided Carlisle onto the carriage. "But this matter is more important by far. You are here to assume my position in the branch development for over a decade so that I can return to maintain the Shield, but I want you to ponder over an issue during your stay." Carlisle had settled into his side of the dark carriage as it began its unsteady journey back to the house.

"What is it Caius?" Cauis' tone had made Carlisle cautious and he could see as the brows of the man across him stitched together. Caius turned to look out the window. After a while, without looking away he began.

"Over these past two thousand year, we four have become more than friends. We are blood brothers to the truest sense. Created by one creator, we fought together to learn what we had become and over the years we've fostered our species." Caius paused as Carlisle listened. "Yet, sometimes I wonder if it has been too long. Although our bodies have stayed young, our minds do begin to wear. You have thought of this haven't you brother?" Caius looked up to see Carlisle's understanding eyes before looking back out the window. His voice was stronger now. "But I manage to bring myself back every time these thoughts pass through my head with other thoughts. I think of balance, always the balance." Here Cauis put his head into his hands and a strong shudder ran through him. His next words came out in a hush. "But alas, our brother has begun to tip." Carlisle knew deep within that this was true. One of them was not well. Cauis raised his head from his hands and his eyes seemed to have aged. "Aro has gone insane." Carlisle jolted.

"No, surely not. He is only sick."

"He is rabid Carlisle!" Cauis claimed harshly, his eyes seemed drained of energy.

"One of my Sleipnir trainees went into the wrong room about a month ago."

"What does this have to do with the matter?" Carlisle interrupted sharply.

"Listen brother. This room held bodies… of children."

"He has begun to kill while feeding?"

" Carlisle, they were vampyre children, the recruits that were said to have been sent back to the Commons. And they were not whole bodies. They had been dissected. Nailed to walls, hung by…"

"Stop, what is it that you want? You don't begin conversations without a reason." Carlisle said abruptly, frustrated by the implications. Caius sighed,

"You know me too well brother, but this time it is not for me. We tolerated his collecting of the gifted, of doing experiments on animals but he " Caius uttered the next words with venom. "is massacring our own kind. He has become an animal, and rabid animals are to be put down." Carlisle winced.

"You are talking of betrayal."

"No, I am speaking of his salvation. The old Aro who sought knowledge only to propel our species would never have tolerated this." With that the fire slipped out of Carlisle's eyes to be replaced with weariness.

"Caius, you are asking too much."

"I am asking you to consider. I will begin contacting the parents of those that have been murdered and hundreds more whom will be worried for their children's safety." Slowly, the carriage drew to a halt under the lamplight in front of their destination. Carlisle's head reclined against the back of his seat. A moment of silence passed between the two. Finally, Carlisle whispered,

"You are speaking of rebellion against a brother and yet I hear such reason." Caius got up slowly to step out onto the street.

"As I said before, you will be here more than a decade. You have time to consider. Take it."

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_ Flowing black hair covered her shoulders as she slowly made her way through the __Berignone-Tatti forest. The waning moon illuminated the path she was walking on; the dirt was soft and damp under her bare feet. She stopped in her walk, unsure of where she was going or where she was coming from. Despite her confusion, she felt only peace as she looked into the vast sky. Through the tall trees she could see the stars shining like young candles. Suddenly, her bare feet grew incredibly cold. She looked down to see the floor covered in snow. Shocked, she looked back up. Instead of dark trees, she was now surrounded by a dense white. She spun when she felt a presence and heard the twitch of leaves to her right, but nothing was there. The air was still for only a second before the hairs on her neck stood on end as she felt hot air blowing down her back._

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_ "People only survive in this world - my world, when they either have value or know how to survive. They will see your value, and in time you will learn to survive." - Carlisle_

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Thank You for reading!

-Liane


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello me readers! It's been two months.. I bow in shame. But I have my reasons: Colleges, going to china, still being in china, little to no internet access...etc. Once again my greatest damn apologies for my late update. :(((((((((((( Please enjoy.**

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Thank you to my lovely beta: **BigKTo**

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Disclaimer: I do not own the twilight saga only what I change about the twilight saga.

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August 1856~

Didyme's eyes shot open in the dark. She could still feel the hairs of her neck bristling and her heart felt extremely tight. The sun had set a few hours ago and despite the ache still present in her bones, she didn't want to stay still any longer. Slowly, she pushed herself up. Marcus had long gone to train his men, leaving the other half of the bed cold and empty.

She smiled as she heard steps running up to her door. A young boy of thirteen came bursting into the room, sweat dripping from his long bangs.

She thought of the day she had found him mewling like a kitten at the foot of their bed. She had just found out that she was pregnant with Demetri and the idea had not sat well with her that the human child had come from Aro's orders. Thankfully a message arrived from Carlisle a few days later that had ended her dilemma. Edward would be her son; the heavens had given her a second blessing.

As he ran to her a bedside, the wind from his movements pushed back his bangs enough to reveal a very large, very prominent black eye. The ecstatic boy seemed not to notice the wound.

"Mother, father is allowing me to go with him to receive the new group of Commons." His green eyes shown with excitement as the words spilled out of his mouth.

"That's wonderful," Didyme began, but before she could continue, Edward was already rushing off. She chuckled and said. "Come back here will you." Reluctantly, Edward froze at the door and turned back to face her, but this time with his bangs over his left eye. Slowly, he made his way back to the bed. "Yes?" he said under his breath.

"How did it happen?" Edward did not meet her eyes.

"What do you mean?" He replied. Didyme smiled softly and lifted a hand to brush his hair out of his eyes.

"You know what."

"I fell." Edward muttered. Didyme looked skeptical. Gently, she touched the bruising with one finger. Edward winced under the slight pressure..

"You fell." Didyme pressed, amused. Edward nodded his head ferociously. Didyme sighed, "Well, let me heal it." Edward backed away quickly from her hands. "It's really alright mother. You know what healing does to you." he smiled ruefully. "I really quite like it." With that he gave his mother a kiss and ran out the door and into the hall.

Didyme smiled at how mature her baby had become, but sighed as she reclined her head against the wooden headboard. She could feel it, the time passing. It was something that she hadn't felt in a long time and she knew what it meant.

oOo

His heart was still pounding after delivering the news to his mother. His father had said that all he needed was his mother's approval and he would finally be able to go to his first Selection. He heard from talk among the older vampyre trainees that the Selection was nothing compared to the induction, something that he would have to go through himself. He had never seen it happen before. The last batch of common children had come when he was five.

His father had put him under training the minute he had turned twelve saying that as a human, he had to make up for the disadvantages. This gave the youngest trainees plenty of chances to take him apart every morning, but he was getting better. From being unable to stay off the ground for even a few seconds the first time he sparred the youngest most inexperienced trainee, he was now almost on par. Stupid vampire strength though.

He had been lost in thought as he ran towards the stables when a streak of black he could recognize anywhere launched itself from the bushes. He reached his arms out just fast enough to catch it as the creature fell into his chest and pushed him down.

"Argh, Demetri!" He exclaimed. His brother was only nine and reminded him more of a wombat than a vampire as he clung to his longer torso. "You know you can break my ribs right? Haven't you learned anything in Mrs. Corva's control lessons?" Edwards said as he detached the younger boy from his body. "Wait, aren't her lessons now?"

"You said you would take me." Demetri said with pleading dark blue eyes looking out from under long lashes.

"I said no such thing." said Edward with a smile as he avoided eye contact.

"Brother please." Demetri said with a hint of whining as he jumped over and over again in an attempt to establish eye contact. Finally, Edward grabbed him by the shoulders to hold him down. "You'll experience the induction when you turn thirteen like everyone else. You know father didn't give you permission" Demetri's shoulders slumped in defeat. Finally he said,

"Mrs. Corva won't stop making me use my strength. I don't like being so violent." said Demetri quietly. Edward smiled knowingly, so that was what was bothering his gentle brother.

"It's part of the training. You can't control without losing some control first. Plus," Edwards said as Demetri looked up. "I heard Mrs. Corva tell father you've been doing great."

"Really?" Demetri said, his prior problem seeming to have disappeared.

"Yah, really. Now hurry and go back." Edward said pushing his brother to send him off. As he turned to continue to the stable he heard his brother shout.

"Alright, but you'll take me next year right?"

"Sure, sure" He said under his breath, but right now he was almost late.

His speed picked up as he neared the stables and a sigh of relief escaped him when he saw that the group of five and eight stars were still getting ready. He could see his father already mounted on his black steed Abathos. It's body was larger compared to the other horses' present but seemed sleek despite its size. Marcus sat looking into the woods with Eleazar talking quietly next to him on his own grey speckled steed, Grusha. Her dark gray mane fluttered as she shook her neck.

Hurriedly, he ran up to them and stopped next to Grusha, out of breath. When he noticed Eleazar turning around to look at him, he motioned with his fingers for him to be quiet but it was to no avail.

"Look Marcus, your son arrives." Eleazar said loudly with laughter in his voice. A strand of his wavy dark brown hair fell across his forehead.

"I heard him from a mile away Eleazar." Marcus said not looking away from the woods. His deep voice was not loud but held command and strength. He had a faded scar across the bridge of his nose that he had gained during his human life and black shoulder length hair. Edward had never been truly scared of his father but he had also never trained with his father or seen him fight. "Edward, you'll be riding with Eleazar." Marcus said turning to look at him. His exterior was controlled, but Edward knew that his mother had fallen in love with a soft man, or so she says.

"Why do I have to ride with the human" came Eleazar's teasing reply as he got off his horse. Reluctantly Edward was hoisted up onto Grusha. The gentle mare stayed still for the new inexperienced rider. Eleazar got on after him and grabbed the leather reins. Edward looked back to see that the rest were ready and they were off.

oOo

The group slowed as they neared a clearing near the center of the forest. There were no clouds in the midnight sky and the moon shown brightly overhead making the clearing as bright as day for the vampyres. Thankfully, it was also bright enough for his sight to adjust. How embarrassing would it have been if he had stumbled or fallen over later when he had to get off Grusha. They sat silently in waiting with only the breathing of the horses to fill the silence. This gave Edward time to remember the basics of the Volturi structure he learned last year.

The head figure or leader was Aro. His right and left hand men are his father and Caius. His father was in charge of the offense and defense branch of the Volturi and the members of his branch where characterized mainly by their incredible stamina and abilities to fight. They were warriors in a sense and like warriors they had ranks. After being inducted, trainee's wore the four point star. Full soldiers were then given the five point star and warriors had tattoos of the eight point star.

Caius on the other hand was in charge of the information and networking system of the organization. His members were called the Sleipnir. Swift, sly and constantly adapting, the eight-legged horse that is one of the offsprings of Loki seemed a fitting symbol for men who were meant to never be seen when conducting business.

Eight seemed an oddly reoccurring number because the simplified symbol of the Volturi was an eight with a circle on each side. Eleazar had told him it was called the double infinity, but Edward had argued that the double infinity looked different in history books. Eleazar had muttered under his breath that if Caius got what he wanted, the Volturi would be history in the making.

Edward heard nothing, but he looked into the woods on the other side of the clearing when he saw Grusha's ears twitched.

Watching Renata move always reminded Edward of a elf wading through water. Her long limbs swayed slowly at her sides. She had on the usual clothes of the Sleipnir, a black cloak. She raised the a hand to pull the large hood off, revealing in the process a sharp almond shape face. Only one expression graced that face. Just calm, all the time. Emotionless. The way his mother had tried to explain it was that her soul had been eroded by time and what was left of her was as deep as the canyons of the west. And Edward had wondered that if she really was so empty, how could she still bear to live?

But even now after who knows when she was turned, she served obediently in the shadow by Caius' side. She inclined her head slightly to show Marcus her respects before leaving as silently as she came. Her job was done, the commons were here. As if to confirm his thoughts, the loud rustling of leaves came from where Renata had emerged.

"Are we suppose to go out?" Came a burly voice.

"I don't know. She didn't speak to us even once." Came a slightly higher voice.

"Ow, get off of me." Exclaimed the softer voice of a female. Suddenly a little boy flew out of the bushes. From where Edward was seated, he could see that it was a very small boy with curly ginger hair. A very incredibly small boy who looked as if he was about to be sick. Eleazar whispered to Edward.

"Poor fella. He's trembling so hard it looks like there's two of him." The humor left his voice, "If the rest don't come out soon they'll be seen as cowards. There are no positions for cowards." Edward felt the severity of his words down in that place on the right bottom side of his stomach. It seemed like a reminder for him too. Unknowingly, Edward let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding as the first of 27 made their way out of the trees.

After being ordered to form two horizontal lines, older in the back and younger in the front. Four were taken off to the side after being unable to find their place. As they were pulled off to the side Edward caught a short sturdy man walking out from the corner of his eye from the left side of his father. The man's steps were very steady and swift; despite his wide shoulders and thick arms. His hair was a short dark brown puff at the back of his head. His eye brows were very thick as was his mustache and beard.

Let it now be known that most vampires are beautiful, ethereal. They are just pronouncements of their former selves.

"My name is Dino," came the steady voice of the the short man. "Let me offer a word of comfort to you bunch of worthless pussies." The last word was emphasized with much fervor and spit. "If you cannot find yourselves capable of FORMING HORIZONTAL LINES." Eleazar's soft chuckling could be heard by trained ears in the background. "YOU WILL NOT LIVE LONG ENOUGH FOR HAIR TO GROW MORNING STUBBLES ON YOUR WORTHLESS PUSSY FACES!"

From one of the boys to the left came a murmur. "That wasn't comforting." Some of the others froze as Dino began to walk slowly towards the voice. He stopped in front of twins and spoke to the one of the right.

"What did you say?" He said quietly putting his ear closer to the boys face.

"Nothing sir." The boy stuttered.

"What did you say boy." Dino pressed.

"That wasn't comforting sir." the boy muttered.

"Louder!" Dino exclaimed.

"That WASN"T COMFORTING SIR!" The boy yelled a gleam of sweat visible where Edward was sitting.

" What is your name boy?"

"Cicero sir."

"Let me make it clear now Cicero and to all others here to be selected. Comfort is a luxury. The Volturi life style is most definitely not luxurious." Dino turned to walk back and their were some gasps from the two lines. By turning they could see what Edward had seen just a moment before, the bumpy stub that was left of Dino's left ear. "Leave if that was what you came here for. Also while my hearing remains perfect I and all trained soldiers here believe that resulting to whispering for normal communication is a sign of sloth." By the time he finished Dino was back standing in front of the two lines.

"Now let's begin."

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I need reviews to encourage me to continue. Thank You and until next time!

-Liane


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